ENCYCLOPEDIA
Richard Porter explores ‘i’ to ‘Junction’ and everything in between in the fifth instalment of our motoring A to Z
THIS MONTH I-J
i
Innocuous vowel, once blessed with the power to make a car seem more exciting (see ‘Injection’). Subsequently adopted by Apple as a prefix and then reclaimed by car makers as a vaguely non-committal way of suggesting ‘high tech’.
ICE
In-car entertainment. Once the basis of an enormous aftermarket industry concerned with trying to snap your parcel shelf with extra speakers and selling you the most twinkly and impressive head unit possible. Much less of a thing these days on account of factory-fit car stereos now being a) quite good and b) built in.
Idiot light
Catch-all dashboard light also called the ‘check engine light’. Meant to warn the disinterested motorist that all is not well and some expert attention should be sought, unless they are a cab driver in which case the insistent yellow glow of this lamp can be ignored for another 2 lakh kilometres.
Idle
Something that used to be lumpy back when we were kids, much like custard. And now getting back into vogue with 3-cylinder engines.
Ignition
Function once achieved with a key, now often done through buttons and computerised means. Much like firing nuclear missiles. Probably.
IIRC
If I recall correctly. Thing people on the internet say just before trying to tell you that the Ford is the best handling car in the world and the Harrier should win every comparison test.
Illumination
Something that’s useful for ignition holes and a bit tacky for sill tread plates.
Immobiliser
Theft-prevention device, now seamless (and a bit pointless since if they want your car they’re just going to break into your house and take the keys) and a far cry from those heady days when the
From top: Inboard suspension, and in-car entertainment – or ICE – in the form of the largely outmoded DIN-sized head unit
immobiliser on certain Peugeot and Citroën models involved a keypad. It felt quite high tech at the time, even though it was also a pain in the arse.
Inboard
What springs and dampers are on some racing cars and the brakes were on some Alfa Romeos and Citroëns, to the benefit of aerodynamics and unsprung weight respectively.
Independent
Word used to describe suspension and recently divorced people, though in both cases the advantages can sometimes be overstated relative to the cost.
Indicator
Flashing lamp used to signal a motorist’s intention to change direction away from the obvious current route, unless they are driving an Ola or Uber or Indicab, in which case they have yet to receive this memo.
Induction roar
Not-unpleasing sound made as an engine ingests air. Also what racing drivers call snoring. Probably.
IndyCar
That thing Nigel Mansell did for a bit after he was F1 world champion.
Inertia reel seat belt
Restraint system in which sudden movement operates a centrifugal clutch, pushing a pawl into contact with the toothed spool, locking the belt in place. Something that warranted great fanfare in 1970s car brochures and today would seem strange to mention. See also: ‘reversing light’, ‘quartz clock’, ‘laminated windscreen’.
Injection
Badge to denote that a car has fuel injection. Very exciting in the days when carburettors were still in widespread use. Now so commonplace that drawing attention to it would seem as odd as proudly trumpeting that your car has wheels.
Inlet manifold
Multi-pipe construction to deliver air (or fuel/air mixture) evenly into an engine’s cylinders. Also a minor character in one of Martin Amis’s earlier works.
In-line
Internal combustion engine format in which all cylinders are in a row. Also a type of skating and what your grandmother sometimes calls going on the internet.
Inner wing
Structural panels either side of the engine bay to which vital mounts and suspension parts are attached. Also what a softly spoken Californian lady in a self-help video might tell you to unfurl as you ‘embrace your inner pigeon’.
Input shaft
Item that transmits drive from the engine to the gearbox. Also a short-lived TV show about a cool 1970s detective who is forced to get a low-paid data entry job.
Inspection pit
Large rectangular hole in the middle of a